With nearly 200 mailed ballots added, ‘no’ count margin ticked up to 49 from 40

Ashland.news staff report

With a couple hundred more mailed ballots as of a vote count released Friday, May 19, by the Jackson County Elections Office, none of the four Ashland contests showed any significant change.

Tallies for Measure 15-214, the only close contest, showed “no” votes with a 49 vote margin, 3,525 (50.35 percent) to 3,476 (49.65 percent), up from a 40-vote difference after all ballots that came in by election day, May 16, had been counted.

The measure would have reallocated distribution of a majority of Food and Beverage Tax Revenue to operation of the Ashland Parks and Recreation Department.

There were also minor changes in the other three Ashland contests, none of which were close. Here are the update totals:

Measure 15-215, changing compensation for City Council members and the mayor:

Yes 4,897 72.62%

No 1,846 27.38%

Ashland School District director, Position 2:

Russell Phillips 2,790 43.70%

Dan Ruby 3,576 56.01%

Ashland School District director, Position 5:

Russell Hatch 4,402 70.04%

Toria Clason 1,853 29.48%

Mailed ballots bearing a postmark of May 16 or earlier will continue to be accepted and counted through Tuesday, May 23, one week after election day. The Jackson County Elections Office schedule calls for the next vote count update to be released three days later, by 6 p.m. Friday, May 26, and the following two Fridays. A final, certified accounting will be posted on June 12, according to the schedule.

Email Ashland.news Executive Editor Bert Etling at [email protected] or call or text him at 541-631-1313.